A Second Chance
by 10Blue10
Summary: Hope and Anthony are on their honeymoon, but Hope can't stop thinking about her new idea - to give humanity the ability to regenerate at least once and give everyone a second chance to live. The ever-supportive Anthony must deal with not only his transformation into a Time Lord, but also keeping Hope on the right track as her determined nature gets the best of her once more.
1. Chapter One

Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who.

A/N: Welcome, one and all, to the first chapter of the fourth story in the 'TARDIS Blue Hearts' series, 'A Second Chance'. Please read and review, and feel free to follow or favourite too! (LOL, rhymes XD).

Hope's plan to make humans able to regenerate was inspired by the stories of one of my favourite authors on , Reality Check; specifically "The Great Alicorn Hunt". Also, the idea of Hope having another, secret name was inspired by LizzeXX; credit where credit is due, ;).

Oh, and this scene contains a bit of graphic injury description, just to warn you all in advance.

Now, without further ado…

A Second Chance

Chapter I

Three days, of pure luxury. That was what Anthony and Hope had been enjoying ever since they had landed at the exclusive villa reserved by Hope's parents as a wedding present; the villa that was surrounded by palm trees and abundant exotic foliage, set at the back of a private cove with headlands that curled like graceful arms around the sea. They didn't just have a pool, they had _an entire beach. _

Even the most unromantic person in the world would be enamoured with the villa. Aside from gadgetry like adjustable lighting and air-conditioning, it had an electric fireplace with holographic fire, besides which stood a soft couch that was just _made _for snuggling. It even had a furry blanket! Then there was the cinema room stocked with romantic films, and the Jacuzzi tucked away down in the basement with candles and a wine cooler. Anthony was enraptured, enchanted, entranced…his wife, not so much.

Oh, she loved the villa, and the beach. It was just that her new, to call it what it was, _obsession _had apparently taken over her mind once more, despite Anthony's constant reminders that she wasn't on a time limit, she had the rest of her life to reshape all humanity and spread hope throughout the universe. Hope simply wouldn't listen; or rather she would, only to return to planning and theorising whenever she thought Anthony wasn't around.

She appeared to have forgotten they were Connected now. With little else to do when Hope was not around, Anthony took to practicing his telepathy. It only took him three days to figure out how to peek into Hope's mind; often she'd be so engrossed in her project she'd forget to raise her shields. After she realised he was there, she'd either push him out or send certain…mental images that would make him blush and stutter for hours. Actually she'd only done that once and he'd never peeked into her mind without permission since.

When Anthony awakened on the morning of their fourth day, he found that Hope was not besides him in bed, but sitting at the small desk in the corner. With a sigh, he got to his feet and pulled on his dressing gown. "Hey" he said quietly, coming up behind her. The only sound for a few moments was the scratching of Hope's pen; then she let it fall onto the paper. "Hi" she replied, voice hoarse from disuse.

As she sipped at a cup of tea, before pulling a face when she realised it had gone cold, Anthony rubbed her sore shoulders. "Hope, please come back to bed. Rest for a while" he implored her. "I'm not tired, Ant. You know I don't need as much sleep as humans. Besides, I've got things to do" she protested. Anthony cupped her face and turned it to look up at him.

"Love, you're on your honeymoon" he reminded her, "the only thing you need to do is relax and enjoy yourself; it's a _holiday_". Hope didn't reply, merely sat there gazing at her notes scribbled in Gallifreyan. Anthony got to his feet and moved away, only to be pulled back by Hope. She got to her feet and faced him with an apologetic expression. "I'm sorry. I know I'm obsessing over this, but…it's like I can't help it. I keep thinking how there are so many people, _children, _dying all the time…and I hate it".

"I hate it as well, and it's so...awesome that you want to try and stop it, but I just don't think you can. And even if you could, you're not God. You are utterly brilliant, but even you can't stop death" Anthony told Hope as he hugged her. "I'm not trying to…at least not completely. I just want to…to give people a second chance…but I promise, I won't think about it anymore for the rest of our honeymoon".

Her husband smiled and gave her a kiss. "Great – hey, we've not climbed up those steps that lead to the top of the headland. Why don't we go and see what's up there?" he suggested, and Hope nodded in agreement. They got dressed, ate a quick breakfast of cereal and orange juice, and ran hand in hand to the roughly cut stone steps that led up and out of the cove. Then they began to climb.

Hope counted the steps on the way up, out loud. "…98, 99, 100, 101, 102, 103, 104, and…105!" she announced as she jumped onto the uppermost step. The brisk wind whipped their clothes and hair about as they stood on the headland, admiring the view of the azure ocean stretching out as far as the eye could see. Anthony pointed down to a smaller, seemingly uninhabited island. "We could row over there in the boat that's in the cove, and explore it" he suggested. Hope beamed at him.

"Yes, let's! I can't believe I didn't want to come out here and enjoy all this – what was I thinking?" she laughed. "Of others, like you always do. But for the next two hundred and sixty four hours, the only people we need think of each other. And I am going to make you enjoy yourself whether you want to or not!" Anthony teased her, grabbing her and spinning her around. Hope squealed and giggled happily; they wandered hand in hand along the cliff side, finding a path that led away from a cove and towards a town of some sort that they could see in the distance.

They spent the majority of the walk in companionable silence, but as they neared the town Hope asked, "Hey Ant, how did you know how many hours were in eleven days? You're not good at maths – err, no offence" she added sheepishly. Anthony shrugged and replied, "I don't know, really. It just popped into my head, like I'd worked it out without realising".

Hope smiled. "Perhaps your Time Sense is developing" she suggested. "Or it was just a really lucky guess – besides, I thought having Time Sense meant seeing a load of weird invisible lines everywhere" answered Anthony, and Hope gave him an offended frown before she realised he was just teasing her. They were close to the outskirts of the town now; a stray nose less dog barked loudly at them from a grassy verge.

"If the dogs here have no noses, how do they smell?" asked Anthony.

"Awful"

"So hilarious…seriously, though?"

"It's simple Anthony – they don't. Barcelonan dogs have no sense of smell; they rely on sight and hearing, why do you think their eyes and ears are so big?" Hope pointed out. Now that he thought about it, the dogs did all seem to have unusually big pointed ears and large ears; like a cross between a dog and a lemur. Heh, lemur dogs; they were quite adorable, really.

The town was called Aivah, a modern, touristy sort of town. They strolled hand in hand through the hot dusty streets, flanked on either side by flaky plastered, yellow painted terraced houses. Motorbikes roared through the wide streets, belching smoke that the wind stirred up and swept away. The whole place had a gritty feeling, an air of neglect and desperation. _I think I prefer the cove _Anthony informed Hope, not wanting to speak aloud in case any locals heard him and felt offended.

Hope tugged him over to an ice cream vendor selling his wares on the pavement. Native Barcelonans had very tanned skin, and often bushy beards; the ice-cream man was no exception. "Fresh, tasty ice-cream here! Buy your ice cream here!" he bellowed out to passers-by. "I'll have chocolate with pistachio nuts, please. Ant, what would you like?" she asked her husband, who gave the menu on the side of the man's cart a look over and answered "Um, strawberry ripple, thank you".

The vendor placed a hearty scoop of chocolate into a crunchy cone, rolled it in pistachio nuts, and handed it to Hope; then he handed Anthony his ice cream, and said "That'll be forty pecas, thanks". Hope handed her ice-cream to Anthony to hold whilst she paid the man. "Thanks for the ice-creams" she added as she handed the money over. "You're welcome; you two on holiday?" he asked, dark eyes twinkling in the light. "Honeymoon, actually" Hope replied with a smile.

They bid the man goodbye and walked off, eating their frozen treats. "This is delicious" Anthony commented, and Hope explained "Barcelonan ice-cream is some of the best in the universe. They have a secret recipe; my dad tried to find it out once, we all ended up in jail for breaking into one of the factories. Not real jail, just ice-cream factory jail" she amended.

"What happened?"

"Oh, nothing really; the factory owner came to press charges, but I was only a child at the time, so he let us go. The workers who had put us in there got in trouble for arresting an innocent little girl" Hope laughed. Anthony chuckled, picturing Hope's child self pouting up at an angry factory owner. "Well, this place still doesn't seem like a holiday destination number one, but being here with you and this ice cream more than makes up for it" he told her, putting his arm around her shoulders.

Hope leaned into his embrace with a smile. She was about to agree with Anthony, when they heard a scream and screech of brakes erupt from the next street over. They ran for the sound, coming to a crowd of people and shouldering their way through. "Excuse me…sorry…sorry!" When they managed to get to the front of the crowd, just barely managing not to smear ice-cream over everyone they passed, they found a horrible scene.

A young boy had been hit by an out-of-control motorbike, and his mother was screaming for someone to help him; but everyone hung back, reluctant to get involved. Hope rolled her eyes in disgust at this apathy and shoved her ice cream into Anthony's free hand. _Call an ambulance, and the police _she told him_. _Then Hope walked over to the child's distraught mother and flashed her psychic paper. Seeing that Hope was a paramedic (or so she believed), the woman begged her to save her son.

"I'm off duty right now, but I'll see what I can do. I need you to step aside, please" Hope instructed. Tearfully, the woman moved away from her son's body. Hope scanned him with her sonic screwdriver, but the results were disheartening; the boy was dead. She did her best to keep looking professional and stop tears coming to her eyes. "I'm sorry. I'm so very sorry" she told his mother, "but…I'm afraid there's nothing I can do".

The poor woman let out a wail of despair, and fell to her knees besides her son. "Who was driving the motorbike?" asked Hope, standing up and addressing the crowd. "Some foreigner, he looked drunk" somebody answered, "he got off the bike and ran for it". Hope glared at the speaker. "And you didn't think to stop him? If he's drunk he can't have got very far, go after him!" she ordered.

"No need; we've got him" said another voice, as a woman in police uniform pushed her way towards Hope, followed by Anthony. "Your husband here found me arresting a drunkard and told us a boy had been hit by a motorbike" the policewoman informed Hope, who distractedly showed her the psychic paper. "He's dead" she said mournfully, fighting to keep her breakfast down as she added "His ribs were…were broken and pierced his heart".

There was a muffled sob from behind her. The policewoman and a real paramedic came over to confirm what Hope had said and comfort the child's mother. "We can take it from here, Mrs Williams" the policewoman told Hope. Anthony came up beside her and reached out to tug her away. _Wait, I need to…_ she stepped up to the woman who had lost her son. "I never asked your name" she said quietly.

"I'm Grace Frayne, my son is – was called, Louis" she replied with a sob. "I really am so sorry, Mrs Frayne. I wish I could have saved Louis…but I promise you, his death won't be in vain" she finished, too quietly for anyone but Grace to hear her. Grace gave her a confused look as Anthony came and gently guided Hope away from them all. "I gave our ice-creams to some twins I passed, I hope you don't mind" he explained.

Hope nodded listlessly. She didn't utter a sound until they were well beyond the town boundaries, before breaking down in tears. "That…that poor boy…Anthony, this is _exactly _the sort of senseless death I want to stop. I know I said I'd relax for the rest of our honeymoon…" she began, only for Anthony to place a finger to her lips. "I understand, more now than I did before. I still don't think it's a good idea to play God…but I want to help you with your plan. I can finally understand why you want this so badly".

Hope gave him a teary eyed smile. "I don't know what I did to deserve you, but it must have been something huge".

"You didn't need to do anything. Come on, let's go home". They turned and continued walking down the dirt path towards the villa.


	2. Chapter Two

Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who

A/N: I've realised that the Christmas special throws a wrench in this series own continuity with regards to Hope still being a child when Eleven regenerated. I've gone back and edited 'Hope's First' and 'Connection' to fit with the shows continuity as much as possible.

A Second Chance

Chapter II

It felt strange, after the grittiness and the tragedy of their visit to the town, to walk across the pale white sand of the beach and hear nothing but the lapping of waves on the shore. Hope and Anthony stood at the door of their villa and looked out to the ocean. Anthony reached behind Hope to put his arm around her waist, only for her to thread the fingers of her right hand with his. "Shall we have some lunch?" she suggested, and his stomach agreed for him with a growl.

They made a fire right there on the beach, sheltered from the wind by the villa, and roasted bits of chicken and sweet peppers on spits. "So you gave our ice-creams to twins?" Hope said by way of making conversation. "Yeah, two girls; they looked so alike, it was uncanny really. If they'd been blonde instead of ginger it would've been like looking at miniature versions of you and Jenny" he laughed.

"They were children, then?"

"Um, yeah; I'd say they were about eight" Anthony replied, and Hope gazed pensively into the fire. "Louis was eight" she murmured quietly, "that's what the sonic showed, anyway". She laid her spit on a plate; there was still several pieces of food there, uneaten. Anthony hesitated, and then quietly said, "There was nothing you could have done".

Hope gave him a sharp glance. "Is that supposed to make me feel better?" she asked in an even sharper tone. "No- I mean yes – I didn't mean to upset you" Anthony said a little defensively. "Of course you didn't, I understand that. But really, it's a stupid phrase. Whoever thought that telling someone they couldn't have succeeded was a good way of consoling them was an idiot" she remarked. Now that he thought about it, Anthony realised the expression _was_ quite strange.

"Anthony, if something bad happened, you'd try to fix it, right? Like, if you and I fell out, you'd try to reconcile" Hope suggested. "Of course!" he replied with fervour. "Louis died because of a stupid man and a stupid accident. No-one is safer or better off now; but so many people would be if my plan worked! Even if I only manage to cure, I don't know, cancer or something…imagine what people could do if I destroyed senescence!" she asked gleefully, a rather manic grin appearing on her features.

Anthony blinked. "Senescence…old age, yeah? Um, maybe instead of curing cancer and destroying senescence we could…start small? With the common cold, perhaps?" he suggested nervously, getting a mental image of Hope in a laboratory laughing maniacally. She pouted at him and said accusingly, "I saw that; and by the way, getting a cold doesn't kill you. Cancer and old age do".

"I thought you said you didn't want to stop death…Hope, I do understand why you want this, but I still can't help feeling like…this is wrong".

"How so?"

"Well, because death is a part of life; everything has to end sometime, and it hurts, but without the bad things in life, we wouldn't appreciate the good things, right?" Anthony reasoned. Hope looked at him and smiled. "Good point…I need to think about this more. Figure out exactly what it is that I want" she decided. Anthony suggested that they explore that island they'd spotted from the cliff.

It was much further away from their cove then it had appeared from their earlier vantage point. Anthony rowed whilst Hope leaned back in the little wooden dinghy, lazily trailing a hand in the water. Seeing her eyes closed, Anthony smirked mischievously and began humming the theme tune from _Jaws. _As he reached the climax, Hope splashed water at him. "Hey!"

She opened her eyes and blinked at him. "Why are you wet?" she asked innocently. Anthony scooped water at Hope with an oar; she shrieked and glared at him. "Oh, it is _on_" she grinned, splashing him once more. A fierce water fight broke out, punctuated on both sides with squeals of shock and laughter. At last, in their eagerness to thoroughly soak the other, both Hope and Anthony toppled the rowboat over.

Spluttering, giggling, they heaved the capsized vessel over and clambered back inside. "May…maybe we should stop" Anthony panted as he pushed his fringe from where it had plastered on his forehead. Hope peeled off her sodden t-shirt and sat there in her bikini wringing it out. "We're not too far from the island. Come on, if we've come this far we can go the rest of the way" she encouraged. Anthony picked up the oars once more. "Fine, but you're rowing us back" he replied.

Fifteen minutes later, they were dragging the boat up the beach. The bigger island that held their villa could be seen on the near horizon, a hulking mass of rock and trees. Hope looked around, selected a spot of sand just beyond the foliage of palm trees and stretched out upon it. "Don't you want to explore?" asked Anthony. "Sunbathing. Thinking. Shush" she replied bluntly.

Anthony shrugged and laid down next to her, absent mindedly playing with her fingers. He sat up about five minutes later and dragged his own t-shirt off; it was starting to chafe. He slung it over a nearby rock and lay back once more, shading his eyes from the glare of the sun as it beat down upon them. The hot sand scratched his skin and his mouth felt dry. There was a bottle of water in the bottom of the boat. "Do you want some water?"

"Hmm? Sure"

He got up and fetched the bottle out of the dinghy and took a long swig. His thirst slated, Anthony offered the bottle to Hope, who swallowed several gulps of the lukewarm water, pulled a face, and went back to sunbathing and thinking. Anthony set the bottle in the shade. Hope had her mental barriers up; he could still sense her presence in the back of his mind, but he couldn't reach her telepathically.

Sighing, Anthony wandered to the edge of the beach and let the cold water slosh around his ankles. _Surely it couldn't hurt if I explored a little on my own _he thought to himself, _I'm sure Hope wouldn't mind. _"Hey, I'm just going for a walk, okay?" he called to her. Hope murmured assent, sounding more like she was dozing off than in deep thought. Perhaps she _was _falling asleep; the sun was pretty warm. "Don't get sunburned" Anthony reminded her, before walking away across the beach.

He made it quite a way from Hope when he noticed a brightly coloured bird on a nearby branch. The yellow, red and green finch chirruped at him. "Hello. Aren't you pretty?" he cooed, slowly reaching out a hand so as not to frighten it away. To his surprise, the bird actually flew down and alighted on his outstretched fingers. "Well, how about that" Anthony murmured, stroking the bird's chest with a finger.

It chirruped again and flew to a branch a bit further away than the last. Then it hopped up and down, almost impatiently. "Are you…are you waiting for me?" Anthony asked in surprise. The bird chirped loudly and flew to another branch. Bemused, Anthony followed the bird into the undergrowth. Pretty soon he emerged into a clearing surrounded by other birds, all different colours.

"I wish Hope could see this. I wonder what sort of birds you are?" he smiled, looking around at them all. There were a lot of nests on the branches, he noticed; was this some sort of communal nesting place, then? Curious as to what would happen, Anthony spread his arms out. Instantly several birds swooped down and alighted on his arms. He laughed in delight. _Hope! _he called through the mental link, trying to reach her, _Hope, you've got to come and see this! _

_What is it? _

_Birds! I followed one into the trees and now there are hundreds of them_ he explained. It felt good to hear her voice in his mind. One bird gave quite a high pitched whistle, and all of them suddenly dived back into the trees. _Now there's none, _Anthony frowned,_ they're all hiding from something. _Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted a small striped cat stalking past the trees, it's ears folded down. Like the dogs, it had no nose.

_Anthony, are you alright? _asked Hope. _Yeah, it's just a cat. They're hiding from it _Anthony replied, watching warily as the cat moved away. He breathed a sigh of relief and began to edge away; he'd just made it to the edge of the clearing when the _snap _of a breaking twig rang out.

/

Hope was pulling on her now dry t-shirt when she heard a scream, coming from the direction Anthony had apparently gone in. She ran towards it, worried he was in trouble; and stopped short at the sight of Anthony, sprinting down the beach and flailing, yelling "Angry birds! Angry birds!" at the top of his lungs. Hope grinned in amusement, but Anthony failed to see any humour in the situation.

She chirped at the birds, who stopped dive bombing Anthony and hovered in front of her. A few more chirrups and chirps on both sides and the birds flew off. Anthony stared at her. "You speak bird?" he asked. "You don't?" she asked in turn, checking him over. There were a few scratches on him but nothing that wouldn't heal up. "What did you do to upset them so?"

He shrugged helplessly. "I don't know! One minute everything was fine, the next they were hiding from a cat, and I accidentally broke a twig, and they just went mental!"

"Well, you did give their hiding place away"

"I guess…but why didn't they attack the cat?"

"I'm sure you'll live. Anthony, I've…I've been thinking. You're right, death _is _a part of life. No one has the right to say when someone else should die, but there's nothing to say we can't choose when they _live_" she pointed out. "Once, my family and I landed in Africa, in a village called Matumaini; it means 'hope' in Swahili. Only they didn't have any; they were suffering from syphilis. Alien invasion, fine; dastardly villain, no problem…illness, the one thing we couldn't save them from.

"We did try, of course, but then they started worshipping us…there were a lot of sick children there. I just want to save them, Anthony. If I can just give that village a second chance, I'll put this whole business aside right afterwards" Hope promised. Anthony hesitated; she gave him a pleading look and he soon relented. He really needed to get better at saying 'no' to her…no, he didn't.

"Alright, let's go back to the villa. We have a lot of work to do" he decided, putting his arm around her waist as they walked back to the boat. Hope put her arm around his waist and they threaded their fingers together.


	3. Chapter Three

Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who

A Second Chance

Chapter III

_People running, screaming, and the cry of "Exterminate!" over and over and over…_Elysian awoke with a gasp, cold sweat beading on her forehead as she looked wildly around the unfamiliar room. The distinct absence of Daleks calmed her nerves considerably. With a deep breath, she went to the curtains and pulled them apart to look out the window of the small cottage she'd been allocated. It was early in the morning; only one of the triad of suns had risen.

Still shaken from her nightmare, Elysian decided the best remedy would be a glass of hot milk. Her mother always did say hot milk and a good book could ease any troubles...it was disheartening to remember that she would probably never see her mother again. For all Elysian knew, her mother Teresina had perished in the Time War; and even if she had not, the return of the Time Lords would mark the return of the War. She doubted she could run from it a second time.

She'd only been living here on Messaline for a few days, keeping to herself as she tried to acclimatise. Still, it was rather lonely in this cottage, and she wanted to rekindle her friendship with Kanpo. Then there was Damon, the Gallifreyan technician. He seemed friendly, and they were around the same age; perhaps she would befriend him as well.

There were not many books in the cottage, but she'd heard that the town had a library. When the second sun had risen, Elysian deemed it a suitable time to go in search of this library. She left her cottage and strolled down the diagonally slanted street. Three human girls were playing with a skipping rope on the road. "Run into the meadow, quick, quick, quick! How many flowers can we pick? One, two, three, four…"

Elysian called "Excuse me? Could you tell me where to find the town library?" The girls stopped playing. One of them pointed down the street towards town hall. "Just walk around the centre ring until you reach Andromeda Way, the library is halfway up that road" she explained. Elysian thanked them and went on her way.

Huath was laid out like a spider web – diagonal streets radiating out from a public square in which Hope and Anthony's wedding had been held, at the south of which stood the parliamentary hall. The streets were connected by rings, with the uniform but brightly coloured houses arranged back to back along each spoke. Elysian wondered what had inspired the design. It was not long before she found the library, a long, low building with graceful arches adorning the entrance.

There were several rows of bookshelves, arranged alphabetically by subject from Astronomy to Zoology, on one side of the library. On the other side were bookshelves containing fictional works. There were lots of bookshelves, but a disconcertingly low number of books. "Sorry about the lack of choice" said an unfamiliar voice, startling Elysian. A woman in about her mid-thirties approached, a badge on the lapel of her cardigan designating her as 'Sophie Harcourt, Librarian'.

"The prime minister says there'll be more books coming soon, but she won't tell me where from. Ah well, never mind…what's your name?" she asked Elysian, who briefly glanced at the woman's hand. Seeing no rings, she replied "Elysian. Ms Harcourt, why do you have so few books?"

"Well, it's quite the story. Twenty five years ago today is when it all started; actually, it started seven days before that, when the rocket landed. The commanding officer died, you see, and the humans and Hath started fighting over his position. Soon, they were using the progenitor machines to create soldiers over and over again, until their past became a lot of Chinese whispers. They thought that the terraforming device they'd brought with them was a Creation Myth!" Sophie explained with an eye-roll.

She continued, "This war of theirs lasted a week, just a week, when three people arrived in a strange blue box. They found the Source, the terraforming device, and they showed both sides that they were fighting over nothing. I've heard it said that one of those people is the prime ministers father; but the man in the story is young, and her father is old…anyway, our town motto is in honour of that man. The Man Who Never Would, he's called".

"What happened to the rocket?"

"Oh, it was taken apart, used to build a lot of the towns infrastructure and suchlike. Town hall is built around the remnants, actually; there's a room in there that's like a greenhouse, full of the most beautiful flowers" Sophie sighed wistfully. Then she shook herself and said "Well, it was nice meeting you, miss Elysian. I ought to be getting back to – oh, hello prime minister" she said suddenly, as Jenny walked into the library.

Jenny smiled politely. "Hello, Ms Harcourt, Elysian. I was just looking for you, actually; I need a favour" she said to Elysian, guiding her a little ways apart from Sophie. "What is it?" asked Elysian. Jenny gestured around the library. "You've probably noticed we don't have a great number of books here" she began. Elysian nodded. "Ms Harcourt said you'd told her more books would be coming" she stated.

"Actually, that's the favour I need. Most of the other Time Lords and Ladies have taken their TARDISes and left, but I thought since you, Damon, Andred, Leela and Kanpo are staying here on Messaline, the books in your TARDIS libraries could be moved here. Is that okay?" asked Jenny. Elysian considered it; she didn't see any problem with the arrangement, and nodded in agreement. "Brilliant! If there's any books you want to keep for yourself, go ahead" Jenny smiled.

Of course, shifting three libraries worth of books into this small in comparison public library, was a task more easily talked of than achieved. Each book had to be categorised, catalogued, labelled, logged onto the computer records and shelved. However, Jenny wasn't prime minister for no reason. Thirteen years of fending for herself and living up to her father's name had given her a knack for talking her way into and out of situations. She persuaded over sixty volunteers to spend two weeks filling up the library.

By the time it was finished, every bookshelf was packed solid with textbooks and novels and journals galore. There wasn't enough room even in the libraries two floors for all the books; they were sent to schools and other libraries in the few villages that had sprung up near Huath. Any leftover tomes were given to people for their homes, and soon, every single book in the libraries of the three TARDISes had a new home.

"I really appreciate this, I can't tell you how much" Sophie smiled, practically enraptured by the site of so many books. All the years of having a paltry number of books had been awful and now, there were thousands of them! "No thanks are necessary, my dear. I'm simply glad to be able to contribute" smiled Kanpo.

After Hope's wedding, Kanpo had announced his intention to teach the art of meditation, and Jenny had immediately offered him the use of town hall's arboretum. The hall was a building of many uses; it was not only the place where the parliament (which consisted of Jenny and twenty eight Cabinet members) met, but also where communal events were held. Having a meditation centre in there would merely be the icing on the cake, as it were.

Neither Elysian nor Damon possessed the calm tranquillity that Kanpo had, letting him deal with his emotions quietly and remain serene in the face of upheaval. And there'd been a lot of upheaval; their planet was lost, trapped in an alternate dimension; if Gallifrey were to return, almost every space-faring species would attack out of malice or even fear; the Time War would begin anew.

The thought terrified Elysian, especially the thought of having to fight. She liked to debate, and have reasonable discussions, but physically fighting was anathema to her. And, deep down…she feared being punished for deserting. Elysian wondered how Damon felt about the loss of Gallifrey. She hadn't spoken to him, or to anyone really, in the few days that she'd been on this planet.

The loss of Gallifrey had stunned Damon, because the last memory he had before his timeline diverged was travelling back to the planet on the supply vessel. To go from there to a Level 4 planet light-years from the space where his home planet once hung in the sky, was a jarring wrench. He could hardly believe the Time Lord's had gone to war; their people had had the strictest non-interference policy, and the only reason his old friend the Doctor had gotten away with so much was that his intelligence and knack for saving their hides was considered an asset.

"Perhaps we should learn meditation" Andred commented out of the blue. Damon eyed him oddly. "I thought…apologies, sir, but I thought Chancellery Guards were trained to keep their emotions in check?" he said questioningly, squirming slightly under Andred's sharp clear gaze. "With Gallifrey in a pocket dimension my rank is pretty much void, so drop the 'sir'. And also...keeping one's emotions in check is one thing, being relaxed is quite another. Between you and me, I could use the stress relief" he muttered, gesturing subtly at where Leela and Jenny were comparing weapons.

Damon quirked a brief smile. "If I might ask, s- um, that is…" he faltered, looking apologetic. "I never asked your name" Damon said rather guiltily. His fellow Gallifreyan seemed unconcerned. "Andredaselus, Andred for short. Former Castellan of the Chancellery Guard – _former" _he added when Damon briefly bowed respectfully out of pure habit. The younger Time Lord gave a sheepish smile. "Damon, former technician…not as impressive, is it? Oh, I was going to ask if you were planning on joining the guard force here in Huath".

"I think perhaps I will" answered Andred thoughtfully, before adding "On one condition; that we treat each other as friends, regardless of rank of authority". Damon blinked and smiled, shaking Andred's hand. "It was nice to meet you, Damon. Would you care to come with Leela and I for lunch?" Andred offered, and Damon accepted eagerly. "Oh, wait – perhaps we should invite the Time Lady, Elysian I think she's called" he suggested.

The two Time Lords approached the young Time Lady, who was sitting in a chair reading a book. "Excuse me, ma'am?" Damon said hesitantly, and she started. "Sorry to disturb you, miss Elysian – I'm Damon, by the way, and this Andred – we were wondering if you would like to have lunch with us and Andred's wife Leela" he explained. Elysian paused, and then earmarked her book and nodded, smiling. "Let me check a few books out, and I'll be right there" she said as she stood up. _She has a lovely smile _Damon thought, before frowning slightly. Where had _that _come from?


	4. Chapter Four

Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who

A Second Chance

Chapter IV

Jenny wondered if Hope and Anthony had enjoyed their honeymoon. She imagined they had, and they were probably exploring the universe in happily married bliss, miles and miles from Messaline with only each other on their minds. "Excuse me, prime minister?" Elysian's soft voice interrupted her thoughts. "Oh, call me Jenny. What can I do for you?" she asked.

"Um, actually we were wondering, if you'd care to come have lunch with us" explained Elysian, gesturing to Damon, Andred and Leela. Jenny smiled gratefully. "That would be lovely, and it just so happens I have an hour to spare before I need to get back to my paperwork" she answered with a displeased grimace. The five of them went to Andred and Leela's cottage and squeezed into the kitchen, sitting around the small table.

For lunch they ate beef and potato stew. "Where does the meat come from?" asked Leela. She hadn't seen any animals being farmed, and when she'd offered to hunt for lunch, she'd been told there were no creatures that they knew of to hunt. "Oh, it's genetically engineered. The original colonists brought samples of red and white meat with them that we can extrapolate fresh supplies from whenever we need to" Jenny explained matter of factly.

Halfway through the meal, there was a knock at the door. "I'll get it" offered Damon, being the nearest, and got to his feet. He opened the front door of the cottage to find Hope and Anthony standing on the other side. "Oh! What are you two doing here?" he asked, standing aside to let them in. He returned to the kitchen and said "Prime minister – I mean, Jenny – it's, your sister…" Hope appeared in the doorway with a big smile on her face.

"Hope!" Jenny cried enthusiastically. They hugged one another tightly, and began speaking altogether in their excitement. "What are you _doing_ here? I thought"-

"Jen, it was amazing! There was a whole beach and" –

"-adventures and running around saving planets"-

"-island, then Ant wandered off and"-

"-the way we've got new books for the library!"

"-chased by them and it was so funny!"

The two young Time Ladies looked at one another, and then burst out laughing. Hope grinned and pulled Anthony to stand next to him. "We've got so much to tell you!" she enthused, "Anthony and I are Connected!" announced Hope with such glee that everyone applauded, only to pause and wonder… "What does that mean?" asked Elysian.

"We don't know! It's a bond, it's our bond. Oh, let's show them the thing!" Hope encouraged Anthony, tugging on his arm. "Show us what thing?" Leela asked impatiently. Hope and Anthony looked at one another, nodded, and then began to talk…in tandem. "We were having the most wonderful time" Anthony began, "on our honeymoon, it was absolutely" – continued Hope.

"-magical, nearly perfect. The villa was brilliant, the beach was"-

"-utterly gorgeous, and the…hang on, that thought wasn't about the beach" Hope realised, blushing slightly. Anthony gave her an affectionate smile. "Um, okay, you're finishing each other's sentences...because you can read each other's minds?" Elysian deduced. Hope beamed at her and nodded. "Exactly, we formed a telepathic link. Anthony figured out how to use it all by himself; well, I taught him a little, but he just used his ingenuity" she said lovingly, giving him a kiss on the cheek. Now it was his turn to start blushing.

This time everyone was eager to congratulate the couple, but Elysian continued to frown in thought. "Elysian, is everything okay?" asked Anthony, noticing her pensive expression. "I'm sorry, I was just thinking about what you said…you said 'we _were _having the most wonderful time', shouldn't it be 'we had'? I'm not an expert on grammar, but the way you said it, rather suggests that something went, well, wrong" she reasoned, looking as if she hoped she was wrong.

All eyes turned to Hope and Anthony, who sighed and nodded. "We visited the town that lay close to our beach, and a little boy was killed in a crash" Anthony revealed, and there were gasps of dismay all round. "His name was Louis Frayne" Hope murmured, hard gaze fixated on the grain in the table. Anthony put his arm around her waist and threaded their fingers together.

"I'm sorry, Hope" Jenny said sympathetically. "It's alright" replied Hope, looking up at her, "because he did _not _die in vain. I won't allow it". Jenny swallowed, recognising the look in her sister's eyes…it was the same determined, driven expression that she'd worn when the universe had been in peril. "Hope, what are you saying?" she asked, all the time wondering if she really wanted to know…

Very slowly, Hope smiled at her. There was no malice in the smile, but it sent a shiver up everyone's spine, it was so unsettling. "There's a village in Africa, called Matumaini. Children are dying there, right now, from syphilis, and I'm going to help them. I'm not just going to cure them, I'm going to make them regenerate" she revealed. Andred promptly did an impressive spit-take.

"What!" he exclaimed, staring at Hope in horror, "do you have any idea what repercussions that could have?" he demanded, and Hope pouted. "I only meant once. They'd only need to regenerate once, and the syphilis in their bodies would be destroyed" she explained as if it were all perfectly logical. "Um, but wouldn't it be simpler to cure the syphilis instead?" asked Damon.

"My parents tried to do just that, and ended up getting worshipped; but I don't see how it matters as long as they're alive" answered Hope. Something occurred to Jenny. "Hope, does dad…do our parents know about this?" she asked, and Hope scoffed. "No way, I'm not telling them. They'll never agree…but what about you? Are you in or not?" she inquired.

"It's nonsense! Humans aren't meant to regenerate; even if you did succeed in this insane scheme, the repercussions, why the Shadow Proclamation alone…" Andred turned to Anthony earnestly and said "Anthony, you're a reasonable man, tell her she's being irrational".

"He already did" Hope cut in before Anthony could speak, "why do you think I'm only planning to give _one small village _a second chance? If it were up to me, then death itself would end" she revealed, much to the shock of everyone in the room. "You want to end death?" Elysian squeaked in surprise. Andred stood up suddenly and glared at Hope. "Little girl, you are messing with things you _don't understand_" he snapped harshly, only to get slapped in the face.

Hope scowled angrily at him. "I am _not _a little girl, Andred, and I understand this perfectly well. I understand that people are dying _pointless deaths_, and that I have the intelligence and resources to stop those deaths" she stated bluntly. Anthony stared at her. "Um, Hope…you do just mean in Matumaini, right? Because you did say you wouldn't go too far" he reminded Hope, who stared hard at him.

"Yes, I did" she agreed quietly, "…but personally, I don't think I'm going far enough". Anthony's jaw dropped. "What? No, Hope, you promised!" he cried, and Hope glared at him. "So you're against me too, then? Fine, I don't need you. I don't need any of you" she retorted, spinning on her heel and stalking out the kitchen. "Come on sis, you really are being irrational now" Jenny called after her. The only answer was the thud of a slamming door.

Anthony slumped against the stove and dragged his hands down his face. This visit home had swiftly fallen into a complete disaster…were he and Hope cursed or something? Why couldn't they just be happy? "The girl's mad, utterly mad" said Andred, not bothering to keep his voice down. A minute later Anthony's hands were grasping his shirt. "Don't you dare talk about my wife that way!" he snarled.

Leela leapt at Anthony to defend her husband, Jenny intercepted her to protect Anthony, and an all-out brawl almost erupted when –

"_STOP!" _

Everybody turned and stared at Elysian, who had just yelled at the top of her lungs. With tears in her eyes she admonished them, "Stop fighting! I can't stand it. Just stop, please". Damon handed her a handkerchief to blow her nose on, whilst the others looked embarrassed and ashamed. "Sorry, Andred" apologised Anthony, "I over-reacted; I guess all our emotions are running high right now".

Andred nodded. "Apology accepted, and I'm sorry I called Hope mad, it's just, this plan of hers…" he trailed off with an awkward look. "I know, I did try to talk her out of it. I really did, but…the thing is, she wasn't thinking straight just now. I know Hope, and she doesn't want to stop death…she told me she wanted to end senescence, old age" Anthony explained.

"I'd like to never age" Leela commented; the thoughts of everyone present turned to a universe with ageless humans and Time Lords…working together, perhaps? "It would be nice if people didn't have to deal with old age" Jenny said thoughtfully. "It would, but there are just too many obstacles. I doubt your parents will allow this, and the Shadow Proclamation certainly won't" Andred rebutted.

Elysian beamed at them. "This is what we need, a discussion! A proper debate, one side arguing for curing senescence, and the other arguing in favour" she announced. There were nods and murmurs of agreement. "We'll have the debate first thing tomorrow; right now I need to make sure Hope is okay" said Anthony, before moving to depart. Before he could, Andred called him back.

"I'm afraid we'll undoubtedly be one different sides of the table in this matter" said Andred, "and I just want to let you know there'll be no hard feelings" he added, holding his hand out to shake. Anthony took it and nodded. "For the record, you might not have been born a Time Lord, I believe you're going to become an admirable one. All you really need is a title" Andred chuckled. "…Yeah" Anthony agreed, before leaving to find Hope and reconcile with her. The gears of his brain began to turn…

Meanwhile, Hope was walking along on the road through the centre of the town. So lost in her thoughts, she didn't notice that she was approaching the security booth on the edge of the town. "Excuse me, ma'am" the Hath on duty bubbled at her. Hope looked listlessly at him. "Might I ask where you're going?" the Hath asked her, and she shrugged. "I wish I knew".

Hope flopped down right there on the roadside and sat with her elbows on her knees and her chin in her hands. She'd been so sure that Jenny would be on her side, at least…she'd thought Anthony was…and then they'd turned on her. _No, they didn't turn on me _the rational side of her mind whispered, _they were just concerned. I over-reacted. _

Hope huffed. "I didn't overreact" she muttered under her breath. _I should have explained it all better, more calmly_. "They weren't listening; at least not to _me_".

"Well, well, well" a laconic drawl came from nearby. Hope looked up to see the Master smirking at her, flanked by two armed guards. "I see that Anthony realised his mistake and kicked you to the kerb…literally" he grinned. Hope rolled her eyes. "What do you want, Master?" she grumbled. "To offer my aid in this, your hour of need. Consider it my first step towards full reformation…you know, because that's the only way I'll get rid of these charming gentlemen" the Master said sarcastically. His guards remained stoic.

The Master gestured to the ground besides Hope. "Mind if I join you?" he asked. Hope sighed and got to her feet. "Leave me alone, Master. This is none of your business" she said dejectedly, before striding away back into the town. She walked into Anthony further along and he held her to his chest like she might disappear if he released her. She stiffened.

Anthony pulled back. "Hope, listen. I'm sorry, we all are. Elysian convinced us to hold a debate, talk this all out properly. We're having it tomorrow at eight o clock…will you come?" he asked. She'd raised her barriers when she'd stormed out of the cottage, and he couldn't tell if she was still angry with him. When she hugged him back and lowered her barriers he knew the answer.

_I'll come…and thank you for not abandoning me_.

_That could never happen. Come on, let's not worry about this until tomorrow. _


	5. Chapter Five

Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who

A Second Chance

Chapter V

In normal circumstances, the meeting hall for the Parliament of Huath would be closed up, the Cabinet members at home with their families for the weekend. This Saturday it was in use, with Hope, Kanpo, Leela and Elysian on one side of the table, and Damon, Andred and Anthony on the other.

It had not been an easy decision for Anthony to side against his wife, but his misgivings about her grand plan made him uneasy. When he'd admitted to having these doubts, she'd all but told him to join the opposing side. "I don't want you to think you have to agree with me just because we're married. I mean really, do you think I'll love you any less if I lose?" she'd asked.

Jenny was acting as a mediator; her position as prime minister prevented her from taking a side in debates unrelated to her town. "This could end up affecting Huath as well, you know – I might even start here. Then you'll _have _to get involved" Hope teased her. Jenny ignored this quip and banged her gavel with a satisfying _thump _on the table. "Order, order!" she called out. The whispering and mumbles died away.

"Thank you. Now, we are having this debate, as requested by Elysian, to settle the matter of Hope's intended plan to end senescence in some shape or form, for humanity. Hope, would you care to explain your proposal?" Jenny said formally, well-practised after thirteen years of politics. Hope stood up, grasping a ream of paper in her hand.

"At the very most, I want to make humans able to regenerate _once._ Just once, even I can see that a full set of regenerations would be impossible; at the very least, I want to extend the human lifespan. Despite my husband's best efforts", she winked at Anthony, "I spent last night summarising all my arguments for doing this". Hope passed the ream over to Anthony's side of the table, and continued, "and I want to start by asking you all a question.

"If you had the cure to a deadly illness, one that destroyed hundreds every day, would you hesitate to use it? Or would you just give it to a chosen few? We Time Lords and Time Ladies have the means to end so much needless, unnecessary suffering, uncountable meaningless deaths. I know death is a part of life…so is disease, crime and perversion, but that does _not_ mean we have to tolerate them".

Hope sat back down, and everyone applauded; although Anthony was the only person on his side not applauding out of mere politeness. _Have I convinced you yet? _Hope asked. _I think you might _he replied. Jenny turned to Andred and asked him to explain his side of the story. The former Castellan stood up; he felt like he was back in the High Council Room on Gallifrey, and the thought made him even more confident.

Clearing his throat, he began. "Lady Hope, I have no doubt whatsoever that your intentions are well meant, but I don't believe for a minute you have really considered the ramifications of this venture. Even extending the human lifespan would increase Earth's development far beyond the regular rates; and there are multiple species out there who would not take kindly to Earth becoming a Level Six or even Level Seven planet. Your plan could end up causing more problems for Earth than it fixes.

"And what of those given the death penalty, are you suggesting that they should be executed twice? Or that soldiers fighting in war should be made to die twice? Making humans able to regenerate, even one time, this is what that would lead them too. No, I don't believe we Time Lords and Time Ladies have the right, much less the duty, to fulfil this plan of yours".

Andred sat back down. Hope stood back up. "Lord Andred" she started with just a hint of mockery in her voice, "I'll concede that I hadn't considered the first point you make; that increasing humanity's lifespan and developmental level could lead to more altercations between them and other species. I'm sure there'll be plenty of races that want a piece of this pie; but I assure you, I have no intention of just giving it away left and right.

"I agree with you there, but not with your other arguments. In fact, no offence, but I think they're rather weak". Hope began to tick them off on her fingers. "Death sentences – assuming they wouldn't be considered null and void, a regenerated convict might want to continue causing harm; or they might wish to repent. Even if the former is true, shouldn't they be given a second chance to redeem themselves?

"As for soldiers dying twice; technically, regeneration only feels like dying, as my dad would say, it isn't really death. Death of an era, perhaps…but that's neither here nor there. The point is, if humanity could regenerate just once everybody would 'die twice', as you put it, regardless. And I highly doubt that if a soldier regenerates, they're not going to be more cautious afterwards. And no, none of us has the right to 'play God'; but we do have a duty. As I said, if you have the cure to an illness you're under a _moral obligation _to administer it" she finished firmly.

Damon meekly raised his hand. "Um, can I stay sitting down?" he asked. Jenny nodded, an amused smile playing on her lips. Damon coughed and looked at Hope. "Well, I can see where you're coming from, but what about overpopulation? Admittedly my knowledge of Earth is intermediate, but at last count there were over seven billions humans on Earth. Wouldn't extending their lifespans just lead to more births and more depleting of resources?"

Hope was about to answer when she felt a hand on her arm. Elysian was looking at her with hopeful eyes, asking "May I?" Hope smiled and gestured for her to go ahead. Elysian beamed eagerly and turned to Damon. "Actually, I did some research and discovered that increased lifespans lead to decreased birth rates, because people postpone having children, and contraceptives become more available. Also, a lot of the issues with a large population are actually issues with a large senescent population.

"There would be multiple benefits to having extended lifespans- more opportunities for scientific breakthroughs, breakthroughs that will help stop resource depletion; continued resistance to diseases and more time to research cures...it's all there in Lady Hope's notes" Elysian nodded. Andred flicked through them cursorily, and Jenny cleared her throat. "Does the opposing side have any further arguments or objections?"

None of the three men spoke, although Andred looked like he was thinking hard. Anthony met Hope's gaze. "You won't change anyone who doesn't want to be changed, will you?" he asked suddenly. Hope smiled. "Don't worry, I plan to be very careful not to give a second chance to anyone who doesn't want it" she replied.

Before this meeting, Anthony had been concerned the morality of Hope's plan…but she'd persuaded him now that her plan was, in its own way, every bit as moral as not interfering at all…perhaps even more so. Thanks to Elysian, he was really starting to see some benefits to slower aging… "Jenny? What do we say if we agree with the other side?" he asked.

"Just that" she replied bluntly. Anthony blinked in surprise. Jenny giggled briefly and turned to her sister's side of the table. "Does the supporting side have any further arguments or objections?" she asked. Leela stood up and answered, "I do. Andred, would you not allow anyone to benefit from this plan?" she asked. "I don't believe it's my place to decide such things" he replied.

Then Leela went in for the killing blow. "Not even me?" she asked. Andred paused and grew pale. "Well, I-uh-that is-of course!" he spluttered, tugging on his collar nervously. Jenny was impressed; she knew Leela used to be (still was, really) a warrior, and this was brilliant tactical thinking. _Leela could actually be quite a good addition to the Cabinet as well _she thought to herself.

"So you'd only let me benefit?" asked Leela, and Andred grew more and more uncomfortable. His sense of wrongness with interfering with established laws of the universe warred with his love for Leela…with a defeated groan, he buried his head in his hands. "…Fine. I concede" he mumbled, before raising his head and adding, "I suppose that at the very least I can ensure this doesn't go out of hand".

Everyone looked at Damon expectantly. He realised he was expected to speak and jumped. "Oh, I um, I agree too. I wasn't sure before but…I think it's worth a shot, at least" he answered. Jenny banged her gavel. "Right then, all in favour of aiding Hope with her plan to increase human lifespans, say 'I'!" she announced. There was a chorus of emphatic "I!"s from almost everyone in the room.

One final bang of the gavel, and the meeting was wrapped up. Hope came around to the other side of the table. She shook the hands of Damon and Andred, then kissed Anthony. _I never want to be that far from you again _he murmured in her mind. _I was just on the other side of a table _she replied in amusement. Anthony pulled back and stroked her cheek with his thumb. _It felt like you were on the other side of the planet. _

"We'll just leave you two alone then, shall we?" Jenny asked in amusement, breaking their moment. Hope mock glared at her. "I suppose you'll want to use me as a lab rat, then?" Anthony inquired with a sigh, and Hope looked at him in mild surprise. "Why would I want to do that?" she asked innocently; too innocently, really. "Oh, come on. I'm a human, who's turning into a Time Lord…where else are you going to find a better person to experiment on?" Anthony asked sarcastically.

Hope bit her lip. "Well, the thought _might _have crossed my mind…but don't say 'experiment', it makes me sound like some mad scientist" she grumbled, swatting his arm lightly. "Back to Juni, then?" asked Anthony, sliding his arm around her waist. Hope smiled and nodded. When they had gone, Jenny turned to Andred and Leela. "Fair play, tactical thinking – the Huath guard will benefit from having people like you join up. So I strongly suggest that you get yourselves to Captain Hardy's office downstairs pronto" she ordered with a smile.

Andred saluted Jenny, Leela following suit, before they too turned and left. "Elysian, the offer to join the Cabinet is still open. I try to keep our politics as little underhanded as possible, but we could do with a fresh perspective; an _honest _perspective" she said meaningfully. Elysian hesitated. "I…I'll think about it, I promise. What about you, Damon?" she asked, turning to him, "what are you going to do?"

Damon shrugged a bit helplessly. "Well, on Gallifrey I was a technician for the High Council…I don't suppose you need a technician, do you?" he asked Jenny jokingly. She smiled and answered, "We could always use a new technician. Listen, about three streets away to your left there's an employment centre, they keep tabs on all the available jobs in Huath, Serth, Galileo and Dolsun" she explained, listing the names of the bigger villages, the ones that were more or less towns in their own right.

"Okay, I'll go down and have a look" Damon thanked her. Jenny grinned. "Excellent! Now if you'll kindly excuse me, _I _have a date!" she smirked, sauntering out of the room. Elysian and Damon glanced at one another and quickly looked away. "Well, I um…I think I'll go back to my cottage and…tidy up" Elysian said awkwardly. Damon nodded and cleared his throat. "Err…please, allow me to accompany you, milady" he offered his arm, and Elysian took it, blushing.

They walked to the cottage, said goodbye at the door. Damon turned to leave and then turned back, saying "Wait! That is, I had a pleasant meal with you, yesterday at Andred's…I was wondering if perhaps tomorrow, you might like to have lunch at mine?" he inquired. Elysian blinked, and then smiled. "I'd like that very much. Thank you, Damon".

/

A/N: So you've probably noticed a blossoming romance…


	6. Chapter Six

Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who

A Second Chance

Chapter VI

Hope skipped up to the console, humming a little victory tune under her breath. "We are the champions, my friends! And we'll keep on fighting till the end!" she sang out loud, dancing around the console. Anthony smiled in fond amusement as he flicked a few switches that she was having trouble reaching. "Thanks" she beamed at him, "so where do you want to go?"

Anthony blinked, having not expected that question. "Go?" he repeated dumbly. Hope rolled her eyes playfully at him. "Yes, go. Forwards in time, downwards in space, upwards in space, backwards in time…come on Ant, work with me here. We won, I want to celebrate!" she explained cheerfully. "Technically, I lost. I was on the other team, remember?" Anthony reminded Hope, who replied, "Yes, and then you realised you'd made a mistake, didn't you? So come on, pick somewhere – no wait, I know, we'll go on a mystery tour!"

She entered some random co-ordinates and Juni lurched to the side as they tumbled through the Vortex, both of them clinging on for dear life and laughing all the while. "Where are we?" asked Anthony when they landed. "I've no idea" Hope smiled, walking up to the doors and peering out. She saw a desert beyond, but with patches of greenery around that suggested a water source wasn't far. "It looks safe enough, come on" she called back.

They wandered through the rocky desert, seeing a mountain range in the distance to the east, and what appeared to be a forest to the northwest. Anthony gazed in awe at the blue tinted moon hanging in the sky, clear even in the broad daylight. "I don't think I'll ever get used to this. Walking across an alien planet" he breathed, and Hope smiled at him, letting go of his hand to smell some flowers on a nearby cactus.

Something flashed in the sunlight and caught Anthony's eye; he squinted, spotting a shiny object sitting on the ground. He walked over and crouched down, brushing away some dust to find a small blue crystal lying on the ground. He picked it up when Hope cried "Ow!" – In a flash he was back on his feet and hurrying over to her. "What's wrong?"

Hope held out her finger. "I pricked it" she explained, showing him the drop of blood. He lifted her finger to his lips and kissed it. "Better?" he asked her; chuckling, Hope nodded. "I think a gift might cure you completely – I found this just over there" said Anthony, holding up the blue crystal. Hope took it from him with a smile, but it soon faded when she recognised the crystal. "Oh…we're on Metebelis Three, in the Acteon Galaxy. Anthony, you're not scared of spiders, are you?" she asked.

Anthony shrugged. "They do creep me out a bit, yeah" he admitted. "They might creep you out even more after this…no, this isn't safe. Let's go back to Juni, try for another place" said Hope. They turned around and saw they were being stalked by a giant snake, like three anacondas stuck together into one huge body. It hissed at them, displaying dagger like fangs; "Run!" cried Hope, dashing off in the other direction.

They sprinted through the forest, not daring to look back to see if the snake was still chasing them, it's scales eerily silent on the sand. "Is this why it isn't safe!" Anthony shouted over to Hope. "Run! And the snake is the least of our worries!" she yelled back, grabbing his hand and urging him on. If they could just make it to that ridge…they scrambled up the rise and stopped at the top, staring down into the ravine below. "Is there another way around?" asked Anthony.

Hope looked back; the snake was about ten metres away and closing fast, the other side of the ravine was too far to jump and she could see a net of webbing stretched across the ravine itself. "Anthony, would you rather be eaten by a snake or a spider?" she asked, much to his bewilderment. "Err, spider?" answered Anthony, not sure why she was asking that now of all times; Hope pushed him off the edge and jumped down after him, just as the snake snapped at her ankles.

Anthony yelled as he plummeted; about thirty feet, only to land hard on something with a bounce like a trampoline. Moments later Hope smacked into it as well, rolling over on top of him. "Sorry, sorry!" she said, scrambling off him, with difficulty considering the stretchiness of the net they'd landed on. He assumed the net was either here as a safety measure…or as a trap. He went with the second one when he realised what the net actually was – a giant web.

He looked at Hope. "When you say, eaten by a spider…" he began, and Hope nodded. Great, so the spiders were gigantic here too. "They're called the Eight Legs" she explained, holding up the blue crystal. "These crystals mutated some spiders from a crashed spaceship into monsters. Psychic monsters, actually…my dad, in his third body, he destroyed their queen but he couldn't destroy all of them – and for all I know, we're at a point before she was killed".

Hope sighed. "I'm sorry, Anthony. I should have checked where we were, not just"- she began to scold herself, when Anthony said "No, don't beat yourself up. It's not much of a mystery tour if you check where you are, is it?" he asked, making her smile slightly. "So if we're the flies, where are the spiders?" Anthony wondered, shading his eyes to peer up at the sky. "It's early afternoon, about…two o clock, I'd say" he guessed.

Then he looked at his watch and found to his surprise that it was dead on two o clock. "Huh, talk about a lucky guess" he muttered, not noticing Hope eyeing him oddly. They heard a scuttling sound and looked up, to see several large spiders crawling down the ravine walls. "They don't look big enough to eat us" said Anthony, the spiders were huge, but they'd still be bigger. "They won't eat our flesh, they'll just drain us of all fluid and leave two empty husks" replied Hope. "Right, thanks for that" he nodded.

The nearest spider bared it's fangs at them; Hope just held up the crystal. "Don't even bother trying to hypnotise us" she said coolly. _The female has a blue gem! _the spider cried telepathically; Anthony shuddered, it felt like little spider feet were scurrying over his mind. "Yes, the female does. And the female might give it to you, if you let her and her mate go" replied Hope.

_The Great One requires the blue gems. We will put the male and female human in the farm where they can work and breed! _said the same spider, apparently the leader. Anthony grimaced in disgust; these things _farmed_ humans? "I don't suppose any of you have a very big newspaper do you? Or maybe a giant flyswatter?" Hope asked airily, making Anthony smile and even chuckle a bit. She shot him a wink. _You will come with us and be harvested _the lead spider told them.

The spiders dragged the web up to the top of the ravine, where Hope and Anthony scrambled off. _You will give me the blue gem! _ordered the lead spider, but Hope stuck it in her pocket instead. "Nuh-uh, not till we get to this 'farm' of yours" she refused. The spiders marched them along the edge of the ravine, first Anthony and then Hope. _Do you have a plan? _asked Anthony.

_Not getting eaten, for one thing. _

_Oh good, I was worried you were going to make that plan C_

_More like plan D for Dinner. I'll think of something, Anthony, I always do _

Anthony sighed; he hoped she did come up with a plan, because he really didn't fancy being 'farmed' or 'harvested' if he was honest. Eventually they were led away from the ravine to a small village. At first glance it appeared to be deserted, but Anthony spotted several nervous faces peeking out behind curtains and through cracks in the doors. _Give me the blue gem! _ordered the lead spider, poking Hope in the shin with one spindly leg.

Hope pulled the gem from her pocket and held it up out of the spider's reach. "I'm afraid I can't do that" she replied, and the spiders crawled closer to her menacingly. _You will give me the blue gem immediately! _the spider demanded, trying to hypnotise her into handing it over. "Don't bother; I'm shielded from your hypnosis trick as long as I've got this. At least let me explain; your Queen wants this, is that correct? It would be terribly rude of me to give it to anyone _other _than your Queen" Hope explained.

_If you will not give up the blue gem then we shall take it by force! _Announced the lead spider, leaping up onto her front. Hope screamed and Anthony whacked the spider off of her with his arm, pulling her behind him. "Legs off my wife!" he snarled, kicking out at the spiders. They attacked en masse, trying to crawl up their legs and onto their backs. In the struggle, the gem fell from Hope's hand and tumbled towards the ground. Anthony grabbed it just as one of the spiders leapt for it, wincing as he felt two sharp fangs pierce his skin.

Hope kicked the spider away and examined Anthony's hand; he felt the ground lurch and sway beneath his feet, his vision growing dim. The last thing he heard was Hope screaming… and he was hitting the ground…and he was so…so tired_…_gradually, the hazy fog lifted from his mind and Anthony began to stir. "Hope!" he cried as he sat up with a jolt. "Easy now, you've got a terrible bump on your head there" said the woman sitting by the low bed he was lying on.

Anthony scrambled to his feet, looking around for Hope, but he couldn't see her anywhere. On the pretence of trying to calm down, he reached out through their Connection. _Hope? Where are you? _

_Being escorted to the cavern of the Great One – after they knocked you out I threatened to smash the crystal unless they let me give it to the Great One herself. Get to Juni and then come back for me; I'll be fine for now _

_Be careful _he answered, before opening his eyes again. The woman by the bed was staring at him oddly. "Do you have any transport here?" he asked her, "buggies, carts, horses; never actually ridden a horse before, but I guess now's as good a time as any to learn – oh my God, I sound like the Doctor" Anthony realised with a gasp. "Doctor who?" the woman asked.

"What's your name?" he inquired, and she replied, "Lucinda".

"Lucinda, those spiders, Eight Legs, whatever you call them; they've taken my wife and I need some way of getting back to our spacecraft to rescue her, is there _anything _here that can get me there faster?" he asked, trying not to get his hopes up. Lucinda shook her head helplessly. "No, nothing, the Eight Legs don't let us leave the village. They control the creatures here, they'll send them to kill you if you try to escape. They'll know, they always know!" she wailed.

Anthony put an arm around her shoulders. "Lucinda, I'm sorry, I don't mean to upset you; but my wife is in danger, I have to save her. Just tell me, the Eight Legs pulled us out of a ravine, is there a way across it?" he asked her, but she didn't know, she'd never seen it. "Okay, I'll have to improvise then- I don't suppose you know where I can get some rope, do you?"

Lucinda took him to the store house where the rope and other supplies were kept, only to find it guarded by a spider. Anthony thought he recognised it; he was sure it was the same spider that had bitten him and sent him to sleep. "We must go back" hissed Lucinda fearfully, but he held up a hand. "Wait". Anthony remembered, strapped to his shorts beneath his jacket was a small penknife. He flicked the blade open, holding it like a dagger.

He felt a bit sick as he sneaked around behind the spider; he didn't like killing things, but he wasn't particularly fond of these Eight Legs – he would probably get over it. Anthony tensed, readying himself, and then – he leapt. In a stroke of pure luck, he brought the blade down right through the wretched arachnid's thorax, killing it instantly.

There was a lock pick attachment on his penknife; Anthony flicked that out, trying to ignore the spider's corpse. He forced his way inside the store house and searched for a good stout bit of rope. He found a very long, sturdy piece and a slightly smaller length; they both felt pretty strong, and when he tested his weight on them hanging from a low beam, they held his weight easily.

Suddenly, Anthony felt a burst of fear and humiliation spike through him; he knew instantly that these emotions weren't his own, but his Connection's feelings. His determination grew, and he sneaked through the village to the outskirts, keeping an eye peeled for any more Eight Legs, his penknife clutched in his hand. There was no sign of Lucinda; she must have gone home to hide.

He made it out of the village without any problems, and ran back to the ravine. Hope had blocked her mind from his, but he kept getting flashes of emotion, and it seemed that the Great One was toying with her. Anthony dashed along the edge of the ravine until he spotted the TARDIS over on the other side. Conveniently, there was a rock outcrop on his side of the ravine, and another close to the edge of the other side.

Anthony tied the longer piece of rope to one rock, and made a lasso at the other end. His first toss missed; cursing, he dragged the rope back and tried again. Success! Then he tied the shorter rope around him in a makeshift harness, attaching it to the rope pulled taut across the ravine with a loop that would tighten if he fell. Anthony had never been more thankful that his parents had sent him on a sailing course than now.

By the time Anthony made it across the rope, his hands were smarting, bleeding a little; but he ignored the pain and ran to the TARDIS; Juni began to dematerialise the moment he was inside, sensing that her main pilot was in danger. Anthony used the telepathic circuits to take her 'straight to Hope'. As soon as they landed, he ran to the door and looked out.

Beyond lay an enormous cavern filled with crystals, with a monstrously large Eight Legs towering above Hope, kneeling on the ground. "Hope! Run!" Anthony shouted, but she didn't respond. The Great One screeched at him; Anthony ignored her and ran out into the cave, pulling Hope into his arms and turning her head to her. Her gaze was blank and lifeless but he could feel her fear, and he did the only thing he could think of – he kissed her until he felt her start to respond.

"Anthony?" she asked dazedly when he pulled away. "Come on!" he urged her, pulling her to her feet. They ran back to the TARDIS, Anthony keeping the spiders at bay with his penknife. As soon as she had set the TARDIS in flight, Hope collapsed besides the console, panting. "Hope! What's wrong, tell me" Anthony said worriedly, cupping her face in his hands. "The cave…might have been filled with radiation…and it might be a bit…deadly" she explained nervously.

"Deadly to Time Lords?" asked Anthony, praying that the answer was 'no'. When Hope nodded he felt his hearts stop. Thinking quickly, Anthony set the co-ordinates for her parent's TARDIS; if anyone would know how to help her, it would be them.

/

Anna and the Doctor were in the middle of teaching their son about the basics of quantum physics when an alarm went off. Worried, they went to the console room and found a grey TARDIS sitting there. Anthony stuck his head out. "I know I shouldn't be doing this, but Hope is sick" he told them hurriedly. "Sick with what?" asked the Doctor; as soon as Anthony told him they'd been on Metebelis III, he strode off into the TARDIS.

Meanwhile Anna and Danny came into Hope and Anthony's TARDIS, to find Hope herself sitting on one of the jump seats, arms wrapped around herself. "Don't worry Hope, mum and dad will save you" Danny told her. Hope smiled and pulled the little boy onto her lap. "Hey, champ. How've you been?" she asked, trying to sound cheerful. Danny told her about the adventures he'd been having; he was in the middle of describing the beach they'd visited a few days ago when the Doctor returned.

In his hand was a syringe with a green solution inside it. "After my third incarnation regenerated because of the radiation in that blasted cave, I tried to find a cure" he explained as he rolled up Hope's sleeve. "No child of mine is going to regenerate so soon after their first one" he said firmly as he gave Hope the injection. "Thanks dad" she smiled, feeling the effects of the antidote take hold quickly. The Doctor kissed her forehead. "Anything for you, darling"

Then Hope got up and went over to Anthony, wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing him thoroughly. Danny pulled a face and covered his eyes; the Doctor laughed and led his son and wife out, leaving the two lovebirds alone together.


	7. Chapter Seven

Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who

A Second Chance

Chapter VII

Moments later the Doctor walked back in asking "Did you use protection?"

Hope and Anthony stopped kissing and stared at him in confusion. "What?" Hope asked in bewilderment. "Did you use protection?" the Doctor repeated in his 'stern father voice' as she liked to call it. Then she realised what he was referring to and blushed slightly. "Oh. Yeah, of course we used protection, dad. And don't ask me that, it's embarrassing!"

"Are you alright now, darling?" asked Anna, having come back to drag the Doctor away and leave Hope and Anthony in peace. Hope's face fell slightly. "Are you hurt?" asked Anthony, cursing himself for not having asked her earlier. "No, no. It's just…that stupid spider was in my head" she cringed, "and I couldn't stop it, I thought my mental barriers were stronger than that, I…I thought I was stronger than that" she admitted sadly.

Anthony gave her another kiss. "Hey, of course you're strong. You're the strongest person in the universe" he told her firmly when he'd pulled away. He felt a burst of embarrassment and gratitude run through him and blinked in surprise. "That was weird" he said aloud without thinking, making Hope stare at him curiously. "What was?"

"Oh, yeah…I sort of keep feeling your emotions" Anthony explained sheepishly, "I could feel how scared you were earlier". Hope somehow managed to blush and turn pale simultaneously. "You could? I was trying to block it from you, I'm sorry" she apologised, but he shook his head. "I don't mind, really. It just made me work even harder to rescue you".

Anna looked between them and smiled fondly. "Well, clearly you both have a lot to discuss. Come on thief, let's not disturb them anymore" she insisted, steering the Doctor out of Hope's TARDIS. Her mother's words started Hope into action; she dematerialised Juni back into the Vortex, her mind reeling with this latest revelation. She and Anthony hadn't been trying to form an emotional bond…though they probably would now…so how did he pick up on her feelings?

"It's probably because my barriers were weakened by that wretched spider" she decided aloud, "I hate spiders". First she'd regenerated because of a poisonous arachnid, then a giant killer arachnid had played with her mind like a cat toys with a mouse. If she wasn't already planning to extend human lifespans, she'd set out on a vendetta against all arachnid species in the universe- there was no such thing as a nice one.

"So you think I won't be able to feel your emotions if your barriers are at full strength?" asked Anthony, following her line of thought. Hope nodded, so he suggested an experiment. "You strengthen your barriers as much as you can, then I'll see if I can sense your emotions. I'll even move away from you a bit at a time, to see if it still works with less proximity" he explained.

Hope couldn't help but smile at how clever her husband was. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, concentrating on reinforcing her mental walls as much as possible. "Okay, I'm ready" she said to Anthony, who replied "It's about time". Indignant, Hope scowled at him, only for Anthony to give her the 'thumbs up' sign. Then she laughed, realising what he'd done, and he gave her another thumbs up. "Felt them both" Anthony said with a grin. Indignation and realisation, check!

Then he stepped back from her, trying to think of another emotion he could provoke. "My mum's dog died" he said suddenly, and felt a slight burst of pity…then Hope remembered that Amy didn't _own_ a dog. She had a cat, called Cleo, but no dog. Anthony gave her another thumbs up- it was time to try something big. "Wait here" he said, getting an idea. Then he hurried from the room, just to the corridor, and closed his eyes.

He thought of something that he _knew _would make Hope blush, and imagined he was sending it through their Connection like he'd send an image with his phone. Moments later he felt a burst of embarrassment and surprise from Hope, and grinned. Strong mental barriers or not, he could feel her emotions and she could feel – _Wait, can you feel mine?_

_Ant! Don't _do _that! _

_Don't make you blush? No can do. But Hope, can you feel what I'm feeling? Is this a two way thing? _

_Um…it should be. Just give me a minute… _Hope lowered her mental barriers slightly and sent an equally embarrassing memory through their Connection. Moments later she felt a sudden spike of embarrassment run through her; it felt strange, like it was overlaying her own amusement at recalling that particular event. _I thought we agreed not to bring that up _Anthony grumbled in her mind, _there was peanut butter _everywhere_… _

Hope laughed as Anthony reappeared, frowning at her with a mock-chagrined expression. Then he too chuckled and pulled her into his arms, both of them delighted to discover this new level to their Connection.

/

Jenny rubbed her temple as she filled in yet another form and placed it on the pile to her right, before turning to the much larger pile on her left. Then she groaned and rested her forehead on her desk, frustrated beyond belief. _Why did I ever go into politics? _She asked herself; she had only stayed in office so long because she felt guilty for leaving Messaline for so long. They could have managed, they _were _managing, perfectly fine without her.

She looked over at the calendar hanging on her office wall, and the event marked out in bold red ink – 'Election Week'. With such a small population, there weren't too many candidates running for the role of Prime Minister, and the majority vote almost always went to Jenny. She was well aware that her rivals, and even some of her own cabinet members were suspecting foul play on her part…Jenny blamed her father, him and his charming persuasiveness. Obviously it was hereditary.

Travelling with her sister had given Jenny the taste of the universe she'd been missing, and she was now preparing to step down as Prime Minister and allow another candidate to take up the mantle. She just hoped she could take on the inevitable public disagreement; despite the temptation, Jenny didn't want to just up and leave her planet, not after all the work she'd put into making it a safe, happy place to settle and live.

When she did leave, however, she planned to go with her father, Anna and Danny. She was fond of her little brother; she wanted to spend more time with him, and even though she enjoyed travelling with Hope, she and Anthony were married now. They deserved some privacy. With a sigh, Jenny took a momentary break from paperwork to contact Anna and the Doctor on her holo-phone.

"Jenny! Mum, dad, look it's Jenny!" Danny crowed gleefully, making Jenny smile. "Hello, Jenny. Is something wrong, dear?" asked Anna in concern, and Jenny quickly shook her head to set her at ease. "No, no. I was just calling to ask…can I come with you? I mean, travel with you, and Danny" she explained. "Yes!" cried Danny, punching the air. The Doctor and Anna looked surprised, but pleased nonetheless.

"What about being Prime Minister?" asked the Doctor, and Jenny rubbed a hand over her face. "Worst job ever" she groaned, "I don't know what I was thinking…that's why I'm stepping down. The elections are in just two weeks. Two more weeks, and I'm free" she smiled, partly at the thought of leaving politics, and partly at Danny's little happy dance. "What about Hope? You enjoyed travelling with her before" Anna pointed out.

Jenny shrugged. "Yeah, sure, but she's married now. Going with her and Anthony would feel like being that annoying friend in sitcoms who moves into the young couple's house for months and sleeps on the couch" she explained, making her parents chuckle. "Okay, point taken. We'd love for you to travel with us, Jenny. You just call us when you want to leave" Anna assured her.

"Jenny, guess what?" said Danny, continuing before she could answer, "we just saw Hope! And Anthony! Hope nearly got eaten by a giant spider" he informed Jenny, who could only blink in surprise. "She's okay, though!" Danny added quickly, mistaking her bewilderment for worry. The Doctor ruffled his son's curls and said "Okay, no more triple chocolate fudge ripple sundae for _this_ hyperactive little boy".

"I'm not hyperactive!" Danny said indignantly in a voice much louder than necessary, bouncing on the balls of his feet. Jenny laughed. "Oh, it was so good to talk to you…but I ought to get back to work. For now" she sighed. "I'll see you soon, goodbye Danny" Jenny waved. Danny waved back enthusiastically, their parents following suit. Then Jenny switched off the holo-phone, and looked around her empty office with a sigh. "…Darn it. I forgot to ask if Cline could come along".

/

Damon was walking through Huath back to his house, feeling very pleased. A young Hath and a couple of human boys dodged past him, playing Tag. He'd just visited the employment centre, and been asked what his previous occupation was. Saying that he used to maintain the Matrix for the High Council of Time Lords didn't seem like a good reply, so Damon had gone with what felt like the nearest human equivalent; record keeping.

It turned out that an electronics store in Galileo was looking for someone to keep track of their inventory and profits; they were offering £200 a month, and the lady in the employment office had strongly advised Damon to take the job. He'd decided to go visit the business owners and discuss things with them; for all Damon knew, they wouldn't want an alien working for them.

Of course he doubted that was the case. The colonists, both human and Hath seemed to be quite tolerant; they hadn't always been so tolerant, if the Seven Day War was anything to go by, but they'd come together to build towns and form a society from a motto, a rocket and a terraforming device. Damon was starting to see why the Doctor liked the human race so much; they really were a marvellously ingenious species.

Damon came to the junction of the street his house sat on, only to come face to face with the Master, flanked as always by two guards. "What are you doing here?" Damon asked warily; the Master raised an eyebrow. "Walking, outside, I am _allowed _you know. As a matter of fact I was on my way to the library" he replied with a roll of his eyes at Damon's paranoia.

"Why?" asked Damon, not trusting the Master one little bit. The man might _say _he was trying to reform, but he'd always been very…well…hypnotic. As if the Master was reading his mind (Damon quickly raised his mental barriers a little more), he replied with "I'm not looking for a book on how to hypnotise people; as if I'd need a silly book to explain that to me. You really must loosen up a bit, Damon – you're starting to sound like the Chancellery Guardsman".

Damon frowned. "His name is Andred, and he is _twice _the Time Lord you'll ever be" he retorted, before stepping around the soldiers and continuing on, having had just about enough. The Master laughed, but Damon ignored him and went inside his house, slamming the front door more aggressively than he meant to. He had just taken off his coat and shoes when a knock or two sounded at the door.

Frustrated, Damon pulled it open and half shouted, "What do you – oh. It's you Kanpo" he said awkwardly, stepping back to let the other man in. "Have I come at a bad time?" asked Kanpo, his voice concerned but his eyes twinkling with amusement. Damon sighed and shook his head. Soon they were both seated in the living room, cups of tea in hand, not speaking.

"So, how are you finding life on Messaline?" asked Kanpo, sounding genuinely interested. "Well, it's not bad…I mean, it's not Gallifrey. Nothing could ever replace that…but the locals are friendly, Jenny is a good and fair leader, and I um, might be having employment soon. There's a store in Galileo that's hiring, it's well paid…I'll have to commute, of course, but it will be worth it to have something to occupy my time" Damon explained.

Kanpo nodded. "I see…might I ask why you simply don't move to Galileo? It would be much easier for you to do that…unless, of course, there's something you want to stay here in Huath for. Or perhaps, someone?" he inquired with a knowing smile. Damon took a sip of tea. "I don't know what you mean" he replied, but Kanpo could see the tell-tale blush on his cheeks. To change the subject, Damon asked "So err, do you like living here?"

"When you find inner peace as I have, the place you reside ceases to matter, since you carry your home within your hearts" Kanpo replied philosophically. Damon just nodded, unsure of what to say to that. "But as it happens, I find Huath a perfectly pleasant place to live" Kanpo smiled, before having a draught of tea. Damon's head was spinning slightly...were all his conversations with his neighbour going to be this bewildering?

For lack of anything better to say, Damon added "I invited Elysian over for lunch tomorrow; you're welcome to join us, if you like" he offered, but Kanpo shook his head. "Oh no, I couldn't possibly intrude" he replied, making Damon's brow furrow in confusion. Intrude on what? They were just having lunch, it wasn't as if they were… "Oh, no, we're not – it's just lunch, nothing more" he said hurriedly, shaking his head. "All the same, I'll have to decline" Kanpo repeated.

Damon excused himself to the bathroom; as he was washing his hands, he found his mind running over the lunch with Elysian the next day. He couldn't imagine why Kanpo would think he and Elysian were…together…they hardly knew each other, they were friends, but that was really all there was too it.


	8. Chapter Eight

Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who

A/N: Just a note, it's about 2033 on Earth in the time that this takes place.

A Second Chance

Chapter VIII

Ms Harcourt kept casting nervous glances towards the corner of the library in which the man that their prime minister had ordered to be put on constant guard. She'd gathered from rumours that the man was a criminal, and no one could seem to agree if he was sane or not. When he'd spoken to her, he'd seemed charming enough, but also very aloof, as if being here was dull to him and he was only interacting with others out of politeness.

Honestly, she ought to have put her foot down and refused to have criminals in her library. She couldn't very well throw him out now though; he had done nothing disruptive, he'd simply taken several books off the shelves and ensconced himself in a chair to read through them. So she decided to live and let live; but she'd be keeping an eye on him.

The Master, for his part, was perfectly well aware of the librarians' suspicions. Humans were so pathetically easy to read; it was no wonder hypnotising them had always been so easy. Had been…the Master was still trying to figure out just _why_ that should be in the past tense. He could overpower the guards with ease if he chose to, and there were _four unused TARDISes_ stored on the planet. He could escape any time he wanted to, with not much difficulty…so why didn't he?

He'd hoped that reading a few tomes on thermodynamics and such would take his mind off of this conundrum, but the Master found himself staring blankly at the pages as his mind turned round and round. Why couldn't he just leave? A small voice in the back of his mind, very faint but oddly persistent, whispered, _because someone might get hurt. _

Why should he care if someone got hurt? These people were nothing to him. _You do care. Otherwise you'd leave and damn the consequences _replied the irritating whisper. The Master had every intention of right there and then, knocking out his guards, running from the library and breaking into the room the TARDISes were being stored in. He didn't. Instead he groaned in frustration. One of his guards looked at him and asked "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine" he replied shortly. It was ridiculous; just because he couldn't hear the drumming anymore, didn't mean that the man that damnable signal had forced him to become was just _gone. _It didn't mean he wasn't the Master. _Maybe you're not the Master anymore _the little voice suggested, but he brushed the notion aside fiercely, refusing to even entertain it. He was the Master, always the Master.

He couldn't…no, he _wouldn't _go back to being that scared eight year old approaching the Untempered Schism like he was going to the gallows. He'd never be that innocent again, never be just Koschei again. So he _had _to be the Master because if he wasn't…then who was he?

/

Anthony and Hope smiled at one another, content just to stand beside the console in each other's arms. "I suppose your fear for me and my fear for you went through our Connection and formed a basic emotional link, if we try to keep it up it ought to just get stronger" Hope theorised, before beaming. "This is so awesome! I always wondered what it would be like to feel someone elses emotions" she commented.

Her husband raised an eyebrow. "I thought having someone feel what you were feeling was one of the reasons you didn't want to bond with me at first" he pointed out, and Hope's brow furrowed in confusion. "I don't remember saying that" she said, and Anthony explained, "that's sort of the impression I got when you said you didn't want to be tied to anyone…so let me get this straight, you don't mind feeling my emotions and reading my mind but you'd rather I didn't feel or read yours?"

"What? No!" Hope protested, and then swatted his arm when she realised he was only teasing her. Anthony grinned; then something else occurred to him and he inquired, "You were scared for me?" Hope gave him an odd look, as if wondering why he even had to ask. "Of course I was; I couldn't sense you at all, I was so busy trying to force that _thing _out of my head…but the thing that scares me most is, if you had died, I wouldn't have known…well, until I got eaten and met you in the afterlife".

She felt guilty for a moment, and quickly realised it wasn't her emotion, but his. She gave him a quick kiss. "Hey, don't be like that. We're both fine, we're both alive, and we've got stuff to do. Unless you want to go on another trip, have a second try?" Hope suggested; Anthony pretended to think for a moment and then said, "Nah".

Hope grinned. "Okay then, let's have a look at your oh so unique DNA in the TARDIS lab" she decided, taking Anthony's hand and pulling him from the console room. "Err, actually I was wanting to see my folks" he said hurriedly, his trainers sliding along the floor. He stumbled into Hope when she stopped suddenly. "Oh. Well why didn't you just say so?" she asked, dragging him back to the console. Anthony freed his wrist from her grip and rubbed his aching arm.

Juni materialised outside the Pond residence, in the back garden. Amy and Rory came out straightaway, smiling widely at their son and daughter in law. "Mum, dad; it's so good to see you guys" Anthony grinned, embracing them. There was a loud meow, and a hairless Egyptian cat slunk from out of the bushes and stalked up to Anthony, rubbing against his legs. "Hello again, Cleo" he said as he scooped the feline up.

His parents travelled with the Doctor and Anna, when Anna was pregnant with Hope, off and on for several months. Then they'd discovered that Weeping Angels were using Manhattan as a never-ending food supply, and if Anna hadn't looked out of the TARDIS with Amy when Rory called her back, and hadn't seen the Angel reaching out to grab him, they would have been lost in the past forever.

The close call shook the Doctor, and he finally put his foot down about his companions remaining home. Fortunately they agreed, but Amy still missed the travelling and became rather bored. Before she knew she was pregnant, she decided to get a cat; only to remember that her father had an allergy to cat hair. When Anthony was about seven years old, Rory had surprised Amy on her birthday with a sphinx cat she named Cleo, after the Egyptian Queen her first daughter had impersonated.

"So how are you two finding married life?" asked Amy as she petted Cleo. Anthony smiled contentedly and put his arm around Hope, who rested her head on his shoulder. "It's wonderful" he replied. The couple explained their Connection, the mental and newly established emotional bond. Amy and Rory were thrilled that they had found something so special together, at how deeply in love they obviously were.

When Amy went to make a pot of tea, Anthony asked Hope, _Can I tell them, about your plan? _He could feel her hesitance as she replied, _I don't know…_ Rory was reading the newspaper, oblivious, or so it seemed, to the silent conversation going on across from him. _It just doesn't feel right keeping it secret from them. I'm sure they'll understand, and if they don't agree, you won't let that stop you, will you? _Hope gave a small smile. _I suppose not…okay, you can tell them. _

Smiling, he leaned over to give her a kiss. "When you're finished with that, here's some tea and Jammy Dodgers" laughed Amy as she came back in. Hope pulled back and took a biscuit, biting off half of it, before offering the other half to Anthony. "Uh, I'll get my own, thanks" he declined awkwardly. For a few minutes the only sounds were the slurping of tea and the chink of china; then Anthony took a deep breath and said, "Mum, dad, there's something I want to tell you".

Amy's eyes widened. "Are you going to say what I think you're going to say?" she asked. "Doubtful" replied Anthony, knowing his parents would never guess it in a million years. "Hope is…Hope and I are" he began, only for Amy to blurt out, "Having a baby?!"

Everyone stared at her and she blushed. "Sorry. Go on, Anthony" she said in embarrassment. "Right, err, I'm helping Hope with this plan she has to, well…end senescence. Or make humans able to regenerate just once, she's not really sure which one, are you love?" Anthony asked Hope, who shook her head. Rory and Amy gazed open-mouthed at them. "End senescence?" asked Rory as his son's words sunk in, "as in old age?"

Amy, equally surprised, turned to Hope. "Why?" she asked, and Hope replied, "Well, why not? Life is precious, it's something you need to hold onto…I want to give people a second chance, to do more, _be _more". Amy and Rory exchanged nervous looks. "Hope, are you sure you're doing the right thing?" Rory asked her, but Anthony answered, "She has me to keep her straight, and I think she should at least try, even if it doesn't work in the end".

"But it will work" Hope added determinedly. "Do the Doctor and Anna know?" Amy questioned; Anthony felt Hope stiffen beside him and gave her a gentle squeeze. "No" she replied firmly. "Well, don't you think you should tell them? They are your parents after all" Rory pointed out.

"Of course I'm going to tell them. I'm just going to wait until after I've succeeded. Look, they'd never agree to this if I told them now. My parents just…don't see the universe the way I do" said Hope. It bothered her sometimes, that there was so much that could be done but she was the only one who seemed to see that. Anthony kissed the side of her head and murmured, "Hey, I _love _the way you see things. You care so much, it's…beautiful" he breathed, "you're beautiful".

She smiled softly and leaned in to kiss him again, before they looked back at his parents. "Look, you don't have to agree with us. I just thought you'd like to know" said Anthony. "Well, I…I wish you luck, Hope" replied Rory, and Amy nodded. _I want to leave now_ Hope whispered to Anthony, who nodded and stood up, pulling her up with him. "It was great seeing you again, and I'll come back soon for a longer visit, but you know, we're both quite busy trying to reshape all humanity" he told his parents with a smile.

When they were back in their TARDIS, Hope set them into a patch of empty space near a nebula and extended the air shell. They stood in the doorway gazing out at the blue and white swirls of glowing gas, their arms around each other's waists, holding hands. "I can't believe my mum thought you were having a baby" Anthony muttered, "That was _so _embarrassing".

"It seemed pretty embarrassing for her as well" Hope commented lightly. She caught a stray thought flit through Anthony's mind and looked up at him. "Do you want me to have a baby?" she asked. "No, I'd want _us_ to have a baby. Do you want to have a baby?" he inquired. Hope looked out at the nebula again. "I don't know…maybe, one day. Not right now, obviously…I've got far too much to do. Speaking of which…" she trailed off and glanced at him.

Anthony sighed. "Alright, I suppose I've put off the prodding and poking long enough; lead the way, Mrs Crazy Scientist" he said with a mock-sigh; Hope thwacked him on the arm. "Oi! That's Mrs Crazy Williams to you!"

/

Graham Medley worked for the Shadow Proclamation, as a forensic pathologist. He was in the middle of investigating the murder of a young woman, who had been found dead on Calufrax Major; apparently she'd wandered away from a guided tour of one of the planet's cities, and been killed in an alleyway by some sort of energy weapon, judging by the scorch mark on her chest.

Graham looked down at the body and shook his head. "What is the universe coming to?" he wondered, it was so terrible for someone so young and pretty to be murdered. Then he shook his head; this was no time to get sentimental. He had a job to do. He held a scanner over the body, trying to determine the type of weapon that had killed the victim; that would be an enormous help in tracking down the culprit.

After a moment or so, the machine beeped, and Graham's eyes went wide in shock and horror. According to his scanner, the weapon had been Dalek in origin. That meant there had been a Dalek on Calufrax Major, and if there was one there might well be more. It was vital he warn the officials of this unsettling revelation immediately, so action could be taken…Graham had just reached the door to the autopsy room when he stiffened.

He turned around and jumped back into the door, with a frightened gasp, as he saw the young woman's corpse sitting up and staring at him. "No…no…please!" he gasped, grasping at the door handle. A Dalek eyestalk protruded from her forehead; Graham stared in horror, unable to tear his gaze away. She raised a hand; a laser extended from it and shot Graham. He slumped to the floor in a boneless heap.


	9. Chapter Nine

Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who

A Second Chance

Chapter IX

For what precise reason Hope's parents had included a fully stocked genetic laboratory on her TARDIS, Anthony was not entirely sure of. He sat on the examination table as Hope double checked that all the equipment she needed was in full working order. She then proceeded to don some surgical gloves, take a small pair of scissors and cut a tuft of his sandy hair from his head, placing it gingerly between two glass slides. Puzzled, he asked "Will my hair really tell you anything?"

"It might do; I want to examine all the different types of your cells, to see if the artron energy has affected them differently" Hope explained as she peered at his hair through the microscope. "Hang on, aren't you going to need something to compare it to? I mean, you'd need DNA samples from before I was part Time Lord". Hope grinned. "Way ahead of you, love. Juni, please extrapolate a sample of Anthony's DNA dated prior to his affirmation as an official pilot" she ordered, and Juni hummed as she carried out the instructions.

Hope beckoned Anthony over, and handed him the scissors and a pair of gloves. "I want to compare my DNA to yours" she explained in reply to his expression, "once I eliminate the obvious differences, gender and all, I can see how similar it is to mine". So Anthony snipped a tiny strand of blonde hair and placed it between two glass slides. A machine on the other side of the room bleeped at them, and Hope smiled. "Thanks Juni". She walked over and pulled a slide from the machine, bringing it to be examined under the microscope.

"Interesting…Ant, look at this" Hope showed him the slides with his human and part Time Lord DNA samples. "On the left there, that's a general sample of your DNA – bits of hair, skin cells, snot from when you sneeze and don't get your hanky out in time".

"Gross. So the slide on the right is my part Time Lord cells, yeah?"

"Uh huh. Now play 'spot the difference'. Notice anything?" asked Hope. Anthony pressed his eyes to the microscope and peered closely; then he spotted it, the different coding in the right sample. It was a very subtle difference, but there none the less. "This is one powerful microscope" he commented. "Technically, it's not a microscope; it just resembles one for convenience. It actually does everything that human scientists do to study DNA automatically" revealed Hope.

Anthony nodded. "Oh. Wow. Um…remind me how that's done again?" he asked. Hope snickered in amusement and pecked him on the cheek, just to let him know there was nothing wrong with not knowing. "Okay, for a start the GEL – that's Genetic Enzyme Locator - is 50,000 times more powerful than the most powerful microscope, and it's equipped with X-Ray beams that let you see a cross section of the cells.

"Then it colour codes the nucleotides; like you see here, the telomere nucleotides are colour coded white on the left sample and golden on the right sample. So we know your hair is different...what about say, your blood? You're not scared of needles, are you?" asked Hope as she held one up. Anthony rolled his eyes. "No, I'm pretty sure that my fears haven't changed since I was eight and accidentally fell down into that well" he replied, holding up his finger.

Hope pricked it and let a bead of red, slightly orange tinted blood fall onto a slide. "Oh right, you're scared of the dark" she nodded, and Anthony raised an eyebrow in disbelief. "Err, no... I mean, I got rescued way before it got dark" he reminded her. Hope took a sample of her own blood and slid it under the GEL. "Now that's _very _interesting…" she murmured. "Hope, do you actually know what I'm most afraid of?" asked Anthony.

Hope nodded distractedly. "Oh sure, why wouldn't I? You're um, scared of water" she answered, still looking through the GEL. "No, again, one more strike and you're out" he told her, before smirking. "You know…if you want to admit you have no idea…I won't get offended". Hope rolled her eyes impatiently and turned to face him. "I _do _know…falling. You have a fear of falling…" then she went pale, "wait, do you? Oh my God, you're scared of falling and I – I pushed you off a cliff!"

Anthony grabbed her shoulders and looked her in the eye. "Hope, calm down; I'm not scared of falling…though, could you give me more warning next time you shove me into a ravine?" he asked jokingly. "Ok, I'll admit it…I don't know what you're most afraid of" Hope said grudgingly.

"It's alright; it hardly ever comes up, to be honest…oh no, I think I've just jinxed myself; and just so you know, my biggest fear is of…low places" explained Anthony. Hope raised a dubious eyebrow. "Low places?" she repeated questioningly. "Yes. It's a thing! Like how some people are scared to death of high places, I'm scared of, well, low and enclosed spaces – y'know, like wells or caves…why do you think I never go on the Underground?" he asked.

Hope shrugged. "I thought you just didn't like the mess…wait, you're scared of caves? But we were in caves on our first adventure…I'm sorry, Anthony. I didn't realise" she apologised, but he shook his head and smiled at her. "Hey, don't be. If we hadn't gone into those caves, I wouldn't have ended up half-Time Lord, would I? Speaking of which, what is the GEL telling you?" Anthony inquired. Hope stepped aside and gestured for him to have a look himself.

"I don't see any difference" he said after about a minute or so of peering. Hope raised an eyebrow again. "Oh, right…so I've got Time Lord blood?" asked Anthony. Hope pulled out her sonic and scanned him, eyes widening slightly at the results. "You have a lot more than just that. According to this, you're about 85% Time Lord, and 15% human" she explained.

Then she decided to do a full body scan on Anthony; taking him by the hand, she led him over to what looked like a slightly tilted slab with padded manacles. She caught a hint of his alarm and gave him a reassuring peck on the cheek. "Don't worry, they're just there to help keep you on the board" Hope explained, gesturing to the manacles…but she couldn't resist teasing him a little. "Besides, there'd be drainage channels if I was going to dissect you, and there obviously aren't any!" she smiled innocently.

Anthony rolled his eyes at her so not funny joke, and lay back on the board. Hope fastened the manacles around his wrists and ankles. "Right then, let's see how much you've really changed" she muttered as she pressed some buttons on the wall beside his head. A wave of whitish blue light swept over him from head to toe, and he watched as a holographic screen sprang up from a projector in the floor in front of him.

His body appeared on the 'screen', outlined in white. It showed his brain, the image of which seemed to pulse and shift every moment; his nervous system threading through his body, and his organs. There were sparks of white and gold everywhere; in his veins, bones, and especially in his brain. "What are all those little specks?" he asked curiously, eyes roving over the hologram.

"The white specks represent the artron energy in your system, and the gold specks are the energy you imbued from the Vortex…oh…of course! It's so obvious, why didn't I see it before?" she cried, swatting herself in the forehead. "See what?" asked Anthony.

"We kept wondering how you were changing into a Time Lord, and we all thought it was the Vortex, but that should have killed you…even just that one glance should have killed you, but it didn't, and now, _now _I can see why" Hope rambled excitedly. "See, look how many white sparks there are compared to the gold – you were exposed to Vortex energy for just half an hour, but you've been exposed to artron energy much longer than that, from the TARDISes you've been in, like background radiation".

Anthony began to catch on to what she was trying to say. "Oh, so it isn't the Vortex energy that's turning me into a Time Lord, it's the artron energy, because that energy has had more time to alter me" he worked out. "Yeah, that's it. You absorbed artron energy into your cells, tilted your biology just a little towards being a Time Lord, and when you were exposed to Vortex energy, all that artron energy began to alter your biology completely…but it shouldn't be able to do that without…" she trailed off, and they realised only then that the TARDIS was completely silent.

Hope and Anthony looked up at the ceiling. "Juni…hum if it's a yes, and stay quiet if it's a no…did you turn Anthony into a Time Lord?" asked Hope. There was a slight, sheepish sounding hum. "Did you do it to save my life?" Anthony inquired; Juni hummed louder that time. "It's not enough, I'm afraid…Time Lords can survive longer with the Vortex in them than humans, but not indefinitely. There might be a chance, though…let's see…yes".

She looked at Anthony, right in the eye, and explained, "The few wisps of Vortex energy still inside you will kill you unless it's all removed. Your brain, it's developed enough to let you absorb all of time and space, and a second exposure to the Vortex ought to draw out the energy from you…but if you do that, you won't be human anymore. You'd be full Time Lord". She sonic-ed the manacles open, and Anthony pushed himself up off the board.

He reached out and took hold of her hands, rubbing his thumbs tenderly over her knuckles. "It's alright; I've already come to terms with changing species. If becoming full Time Lord is what it takes to save my life, and stay with you, I'll do it within two heart beats" Anthony said earnestly. Hope gave him a soft, loving kiss; then she took him by the hand and led him to the console room.

"There's no more Untempered schism, but if I raise the shields to maximum, and you process a feedback loop through the door controls so they don't deadlock…this is how my parents showed it to me when I was eight" explained Hope as she and Anthony worked at the console. "Eight? Isn't that a bit, well, _young_ to see all of time and space?" Anthony said dubiously.

"All Time Lords were initiated at the age of eight, it's Gallifreyan tradition. And don't forget, even an eight year old Time Tot can understand much more than an eight year old human; it's just the right age for us to be able to absorb everything; oh, but you'll need a very long sleep afterwards. My parents told me I slept for like a week straight after I stared into the Vortex" Hope explained. The TARDIS floated in the Vortex. "Are you ready?" she asked.

Anthony nodded, and strode over to the doors. "Wait!" Hope called out; he paused and turned to her. "I…I should warn you, it's…not easy. You might run, or be inspired, or…or go mad. Just…whatever happens, I'll be here for you". Anthony nodded, understanding. He stood there a moment, gathering his courage, before yanking the doors open.

The moment he laid eyes on the sight beyond, Anthony knew he would never be able to describe it to anybody else. How could he describe the sensation of gazing at all of reality? All of time and space flickered through his brain; one second he was staring at mammoths, the next at a star liner crash landing; one moment he saw a supernova burst forth in a cacophony of burning colours, and then beheld a dingy Liverpool street. More and more of it poured into his mind, it was becoming too much, and yet it was so _incredible _he couldn't tear his gaze away.

A sharp pain erupted in his knees, and he dimly thought he might have dropped to the hard floor of the TARDIS; then he lost all sensation in his body entirely. He was just pure consciousness spinning through the ever shifting tidal wave of the Vortex, struggling to cling on to who and what he was. _Anthony! Anthony, it's alright, I've got you! _He heard someone calling, someone he knew…Hope? Yes, his wife, his Connection. He needed her, he…he needed help.

_I know love, I've got you. Don't try and fight it, just…look for something, anything that you recognise and try to focus on it_ she told him. How could he focus on anything in this maelstrom? _Please, you have to…look for your own timeline, Anthony, and follow it! _Hope urged him, and he searched desperately through the Vortex for his earliest memory, but it wasn't working, there was just too much to look at!

_I told you, don't fight it, just…let it come. Just be ready for it; I'm sorry, I wish I could tell you how, but I can't _said Hope, and she sounded as if she was crying. That simply wouldn't do…and suddenly, he spotted a little speck of the past and threw all of his attention, all of his being on to it.

He began to watch his life in fast motion; watched himself learn to walk, run and ride a bike with Hope…birthday and Christmas trips to far off planets in her parent's TARDIS…dancing with Hope at their school celebration…going to university to study paleontology…becoming Hope's boyfriend…graduation day…he and Hope rescuing Time Lords and saving the universe…getting married to the woman of his dreams…all of this, in what felt like only a few minutes.

Still, it worked. He felt everything slotting into place, where he fit in the grand scheme of things. It was a little…actually, _very _humbling to realise just how insignificant he really was. "You're not insignificant" said Hope. Anthony realised he was back inside his body, and opened his eyes tentatively. "Hi" he muttered, gazing up at Hope from where he lay in her arms. "Hi" she smiled.

"How do you feel? Mad, or…?" Hope trailed off. "Does being mad about you count?" asked Anthony with a cheesy grin. "Oh, shut up" she grumbled. Anthony sat up and rubbed his aching head. "Okay, I will honestly say that I feel…utterly exhausted and I never want to do that again" he said bluntly, and Hope laughed. She helped him to his feet, and guided him off to their bedroom. The universe, Juni and her quite aspiring plan…well, they could all wait for a while.


End file.
